Real Estate Property Management | Jason Hahn

Working with a property management company can be a great resource for owners of residential, commercial, or industrial real estate. Property management works the same as management in any other field by monitoring what needs to be accounted, monitored, and cared for with any type of real estate. We will work to locate quality tenants who respect and care for the property and always pay promptly. We will act as a liaison between the owner and the tenant easing the responsibility of busy owners. Choosing a responsible property manager can make the real estate process a breeze. We have the skills and know-how to make your ownership experience simple and painless. Take comfort in the knowledge that we will always treat your property as if it were our own. Residential Property Management Company Alpine

Source: http://www.jaysonhahn.com/real-estate-property-management/

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Disney says JJ Abrams to direct next 'Star Wars'

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2013 file photo, J.J. Abrams arrives at the Winter TCA Fox All-Star Party at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. According to multiple reports, Abrams is set to direct the next installment of ?Star Wars,? which Disney has said will be ?Episode 7? and due out in 2015. Disney bought ?Star Wars? maker Lucasfilm last month for $4.06 billion. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2013 file photo, J.J. Abrams arrives at the Winter TCA Fox All-Star Party at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. According to multiple reports, Abrams is set to direct the next installment of ?Star Wars,? which Disney has said will be ?Episode 7? and due out in 2015. Disney bought ?Star Wars? maker Lucasfilm last month for $4.06 billion. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? It's official. The force is with J.J. Abrams.

The Walt Disney Co. issued a statement Friday night confirming reports that had been circulating for two days that Abrams, Emmy-award-winning creator of TV's "Lost" and director of 2009's "Star Trek" movie, has been pegged to direct the seventh installment of the "Star Wars" franchise.

"J.J. is the perfect director to helm this," said Kathleen Kennedy, the movie's producer and president of Lucasfilm, which was acquired by Disney last month for $4.06 billion.

"Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience," Kennedy said in the statement.

The movie will have a script from "Toy Story 3" writer Michael Arndt and a 2015 release.

Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" in the original trilogy, will work as a consultant on the new project.

Abrams has already headed the reboot of another storied space franchise, "Star Trek," for rival studio Paramount Pictures. The next installment in that series, "Star Trek: Into Darkness," is set to hit theaters May 17.

But he has long been known as a "Star Wars" devotee. Abrams spoke about the plot of the original "Star Wars" in the lecture series "TED Talks" in March 2007, and reportedly became enamored of "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof partly because Lindelof was wearing a "Star Wars" T-shirt when they first met.

In 2009, Abrams told the Los Angeles Times: "As a kid, 'Star Wars' was much more my thing than 'Star Trek' was."

In Friday night's statement he called it an "absolute honor" to get the job.

"I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid," Abrams said.

Lucas himself said in the statement that "I've consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He's an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn't be in better hands."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-26-US-Star-Wars-JJ-Abrams/id-b9e9240159484cdb83ad55a5c930bbc6

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BlackBerry Z10 priced at ?480 sim-free by purported Carphone Warehouse database leak (update)

With all the BlackBerry 10 leaks as of late, it seems inevitable that pricing info would get ousted in the lead up to January 30th. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, it appears that the sim-free version of RIM's Z10 will cost UKers a cool £480 at Carphone Warehouse (for perspective, a 16GB iPhone 5 would run you just roughly £30 more). The leak comes from what's said to be a snapshot of the company's internal database, listing the white variant. The attached BLAZ10WHI model number also syncs up nicely with the previous slip from the retailer. At this rate, not much is going to be left to the imagination when RIM officially unveils its devices come Monday -- who likes surprises anyway, right?

Update: We've updated the post to reflect that the phone was touted to us as "sim-free," specifically.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/OemOQSQYWUU/

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Internet necessity: German court says being online 'essential' ? RT

The internet has now become an officially 'essential' thing people cannot do without, just like the phones or television, according to a court ruling in Germany.

?"Most people in Germany use the internet daily. Thus it has become an essential medium in the life of the society, the disruption of which has an immediately impact on the course of everyday life," the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe states.

Now a German telecommunications company will have to pay a client compensation for failing to provide its services.

The Karlsruhe court made this decision after hearing the case of a man who was erroneously disconnected from his DSL line for two months in late 2008-early 2009. Initially, the provider also offered a telephone and fax line which also failed their customer.

The plaintiff has already received compensation for having to use his mobile device, but sought damages for not being able to use the internet and other services.

"Due to easy access to information, the internet has overtaken the role of mass media such as encyclopedias, print press and TV. It allows global exchange between the users, such as through the email, forums, blogs and social media. Besides, it is becoming more and more crucial for negotiating and striking deals as well as fulfillment of public service obligations," the court ruling reads.

Now that the internet has made it to the list of essentials, German law states that the loss of its use can be liable for compensation.

The damages the plaintiff initially wanted amounted to 50 euro per day for the period he was unable to use his DSL, fax over IP and VoIP services. However, the court only awarded compensation for the loss of the internet connection, saying fax usage is limited and ?irrelevant? when compared with emails, and the VoIP phone inessential since the plaintiff had a mobile phone.

The final amount of compensation is yet to be determined.

Source: http://rt.com/news/internet-essential-germany-court-734/

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Playing it safe, Abbott leads at US championships

Jeremy Abbott competes during the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jeremy Abbott competes during the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jeremy Abbott competes in the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

Jeremy Abbott competes during the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jeremy Abbott competes during the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Jeremy Abbott competes in the senior men's short program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Patrick Chan and the Japanese can rest easy.

With just about everyone else stumbling, bumbling or worse, Jeremy Abbott's clean but conservative short program was more than enough to give him the lead in the splatfest that was the U.S. Figure Skating Championships on Friday night. The three-time champion finished with 84.10 points, and was three points ahead of Ross Miner going into Sunday's free skate.

Joshua Farris, the silver medalist at last year's junior world championships, was third.

"That was a lot of work," Abbott said. "I came into this championships knowing this would be more work than in the past. I got a late start to the season. My focus was just to do the best I could for now and move on to the world championships and make some magic happen there."

There certainly wasn't any magic Friday. Voodoo, maybe. Out of the 20 men, only four managed to get through their program without a major error.

Max Aaron and Farris were the first two skaters, and they got through unscathed. Impressive even, promising youngsters who could be factors in the next Olympic cycle. Farris attacked his program from the opening note, skating with the kind of fearless abandon contenders have to have. NBA players would have approved of the height he got on his jumps, and his triple axel and triple flip were solid. The landing on the first jump in his triple lutz-triple toe loop was shaky, but he managed to hang on.

"I'm a little petrified being up here right now," Farris said. "I'm so happy."

After Aaron and Farris, however, there were almost three hours of splats until Abbott skated.

And the guys they weren't necessarily botching quadruple jumps or other high-risk tricks. Former two-time junior world champ Adam Rippon fell on a triple flip-triple toe combination, jumps he can do in his sleep. Another fell out of a spin, the skating equivalent of tripping off a curb. Yet another looked as if he got lost on the way to the Olympic trials for swimming that were held here a few months back, belly-flopping onto the ice.

No wonder Olympic champion Evan Lysacek is contemplating a comeback.

Lysacek withdrew from nationals last week, saying he hadn't had enough time to train after hernia surgery in November. Even half-trained he probably still would have done better than most of this field.

While Abbott's program was perfectly respectable, he's going to have to crack it up a notch ? or 10 ? if he wants to have any chance at the podium at the world championships in March. He took the quad out of his short program a few weeks ago because of back problems, though he didn't need it Friday with everyone else falling.

He wasn't as mesmerizing as he normally is, either. Abbott has some of the finest skating skills in the world ? he should be certified as a master craftsman for his edgework ? and his step sequences alone are worth the price of admission. But he seemed a little flat, and it seemed to be accentuated by the techno music that was a big departure from the classical pieces that have become something of a trademark.

At least he stood up. When Abbottt landed his last jump, the triple axel, the audience broke into applause.

"For me today, it was about getting the job done and then really enjoying the rest of the performance," Abbott said. "Once I got that triple axel done, now we can start to have fun, the job is done and now it's about the performance."

Miner was third the last two years, and his bronze medal at NHK Trophy showed he was angling for an upgrade here. He had to skate right after Abbott, a spot that can either inspire or unnerve a skater.

For Miner, it was the former. He was clearly enjoying himself, smiling and racing around the rink with more energy than the Energizer Bunny. He doesn't quite have Abbott's polish ? few do ? but he made up for it with his enthusiasm.

His only flaw was a slightly underrotated quadruple salchow. But at least he was willing to risk it.

"Tonight was a little bit tentative for me," Miner said. "But I was happy I went out and skated a solid program."

That's more than most of the men can say.

Earlier Friday, Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the short dance with a career-best 79.02 points.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-01-26-FIG-US-Championships/id-9a4aa71d98b04c86b7f20f2ff4fff919

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iPhone 5S, a Plastic Version and iPad 5 Reportedly Coming This Year

It's been just about three months since the fourth-generation iPad was announced, so naturally, it's time for some rumors and reports of the fifth-gen model to start rolling in -- along with reports on the next-generation iPhone.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/kTfx6VjTV_k/

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New survey finds drivers trust independent shops for car repairs ...

While many students of automotive schools find work at car dealerships throughout the U.S., a number of graduates also go on to open their own repair businesses. Now, a new study has found that more drivers trust independent shops over car dealerships.

According to the AutoMD.com report, a significant number of consumers ? 80 percent ? said they trust their independent mechanic over a dealership because they are more trustworthy and believe they will get a better price when visiting a smaller shop.

The report also found that most drivers are cost savvy and have done their homework when it comes to repairs, with 87 percent saying that their independent shop repair quotes were indeed more affordable than a dealership.

?It is no secret that consumers are holding onto their vehicles for record lengths of time, meaning more and more visits to the repair shop or dealer service center,? Brian Hafer , vice president of marketing for AutoMD.com, said in a news release. ?We conducted this snapshot survey to provide a window into how today?s car owners feel about their repair shop/dealership service center options, and found that price and relationships are making consumers push the independent trigger ? unless their vehicle is under a dealership warranty. But, with so many aging cars now falling outside the warranty, this survey indicates that consumers are going to compare repair quotes ? and then go where they believe the price is right.?

A separate survey last year from Consumer Reports found that drivers are keeping their cars on the road an average of 11 years.

Tom Sofordia, owner of Best Auto Service in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, told the Pocono Record that in order to extend the life of a vehicle, drivers should always stick to their maintenance schedule and fix problems as soon as they occur.

Source: http://blog.lincolnedu.com/2013/01/new-survey-finds-drivers-trust-independent-shops-for-car-repairs/

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Big Victory for Disabled Athletes | League of Fans

By Ken Reed

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter today clarifying schools? obligations to provide extracurricular athletics opportunities for students with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. (See the letter)

The directive applies to K-12 schools as well as colleges and universities. The bottom line of the OCR action is that students with disabilities must be provided opportunities for physical activity and sports equal to those afforded to students without disabilities.

In a press release about the OCR?s action, issued by the Inclusive Fitness Coalition, an advocacy organization for disabled athletes, James Rimmer, Ph.D., director of the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability said, ?The OCR guidance is a clear indication that athletics is an extremely important part of our educational system and that youth and young adults with disabilities must be afforded the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.? (See the press release)

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has called on the Department of Education to provide resources to assist states and schools in serving students with disabilities in physical activity settings.

?We applaud OCR for its leadership and action, which we hope will pave the way for students with disabilities in sports the same way that Title IX has done for women,? said Terri Lakowski, policy chair of the Inclusive Fitness Coalition.

It?s a landmark day for disabled athletes in the United States but now comes the hard part: enforcing implementation of this mandate. Everyone who cares about equal opportunity in sports must be diligent at the local and/or national level. This isn?t an impossible task. Models are out there.

?We are ready and eager to work with schools across the country and show them that integrating students with disabilities into school athletic programs is not only feasible, but will greatly enrich the overall athletic experience for all students,? said Beverly Vaughn, Executive Director of the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs.

A lot of work has been done.
A lot is still left to do.
Get involved where you can.

?Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans

?Print

Source: http://leagueoffans.org/2013/01/25/big-victory-for-disabled-athletes/

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Greece mulls how to force strikers back to work

A man reads a flyer announcing a strike by metro services at the shuttered entrance of the Monastiraki Metro station in Athens, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Striking metro workers in Athens defied a court order to return to their jobs and continued their protest for a seventh day on Wednesday, as demonstrations against new pay cuts escalated in the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

A man reads a flyer announcing a strike by metro services at the shuttered entrance of the Monastiraki Metro station in Athens, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. Striking metro workers in Athens defied a court order to return to their jobs and continued their protest for a seventh day on Wednesday, as demonstrations against new pay cuts escalated in the Greek capital. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece's conservative prime minister is holding an emergency meeting to decide how to get striking public transport employees back to work.

Strikers protesting pay cuts refused to return to work Thursday, leaving Athens' subway system closed for an eighth day, despite a court decision declaring their protest illegal.

The confrontation is a challenge to the government's latest round of austerity measures, needed for continued bailout payments but which have also deepened hardship as the country enters a sixth year of recession.

The government has not ruled out forcing the strikers back to work, using special powers normally reserved for wartime or national emergencies.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-01-24-Greece-Financial%20Crisis/id-4a852dd6f98349d695a5393f3d381fde

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Beyonce Inauguration Performance: Audio Engineer Says 'No Question' She Was Singing

'At least half, if not all of what we were hearing was her real vocal,' says audio engineer Ian Shepherd.
By Gil Kaufman

Beyoncé performs the National Anthem during the presidential inauguration
Photo: Getty Images

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1700725/beyonce-inauguration-lip-singing-audio.jhtml

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Who's Coping With the Break-Up Better-Selena or Justin?

It's been a few weeks since Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez called it quits for good (or so it seems). After two years as teen pop's golden couple, the single life must be quite an adjustment for Biebomez -- er, Justilena. (Maybe their lack of a good portmanteau, a la Robsten or Brangelina, was the final straw.) So how are Justin, 18, and Selena, 20, weathering the break-up? We decided to look at what both performers have been up to lately, and determine who's bouncing back faster.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/whos-coping-break-better-selena-or-justin/1-a-516603?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Awhos-coping-break-better-selena-or-justin-516603

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The new face of eating disorders: Men starving themselves to look ...

Bulimia, anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, long thought to be serious problems for many women, are showing up among surprisingly large numbers of men, some of whom are starving themselves or exercising obsessively to look like the pictures in men's magazines.

Yet neither men themselves, nor most doctors, think of males as being at risk for these illnesses, experts say.

Community-based studies suggest one case in three of anorexia nervosa is a male, said Dr. Blake Woodside, director of the program for eating disorders at Toronto General Hospital. For bulimia, it is about one in four.

"And that's a dramatic finding, because in clinical samples (based on people in treatment) it's more like one in 15, or one in 20," Woodside said.

The stigma, isolation and confusion around suffering from what has long been perceived as a "girl's problem" can make men so reluctant to come forward that many arrive in treatment sicker than women. "For men there is still such a stigma attached to the idea of having an eating disorder and reaching

out for help," said Joanna Anderson, clinical director at Sheena's Place in Toronto. "If you go for treatment and you're in a group with 10 or 12 women and you're the only man, it's very difficult to feel like you're not different."

Yet men develop eating disorders for the same reasons women do, doctors say. Most have an underlying genetic vulnerability to the disease that can be triggered by a stressful life event, such as undiagnosed psychiatric conditions, sexual or physical abuse, trouble in school, job loss - "the enormous range of things that make people feel bad," Woodside said.

For boys, it can start with bullying or teasing, or something as simple as puberty. An eating disorder can become a coping mechanism, a desperate grasp for control at a time when it feels as if their lives are unravelling.

But there can be a strong cultural component as well. Men, like women, are under pressure to conform to the "ideal" body type, and for men, that body tends to be linked to perceptions of success, control and power, said Merryl Bear of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, which has launched a poster campaign to raise awareness of eating disorders in men.

"There has been a much stronger link between advertising and a particular glorification of the male physique in recent years," Bear said. "The social ideal of the male body has become much more tightly linked to personal success."

Media images can make men feel vulnerable about "who they are and how they present (themselves) in the world," Bear said. "And they're told they can manage that by controlling their bodies."

The ideal body shape for men traditionally has been the inverted triangle, Woodside said - broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist.

But super-skinny male models have also become increasingly popular in men's fashion magazines, "a kind of 'geek-thin' thing that is a potential route into dieting behaviours for some guys," Woodside said.

Both sexes experience the illness in the same isolating, "very painful, very difficult ways," Woodside said. The difference with men is that when they tell family or friends they have anorexia or bulimia, people initially don't believe them. "They say, 'that's an illness of girls.'"

Families are also far less likely to think "eating disorder" in a boy who suddenly begins to lose weight.

Tom Wooldridge, assistant professor of psychology at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, knows of cases where parents didn't realize the seriousness of the situation until their son's hair began falling out. Men often feel a sense of shame and embarrassment, he said. "It's really common for men to feel very alienated," Wooldridge told the Canadian Medical Association Journal in one of two articles published on eating disorders in males last week.

Woodside said greater public awareness is needed to recognize that men are at risk, "and that people shouldn't ignore unexplained weight loss in a 20-year-old man, or failure to grow in a 14-year-old boy, or evidence of binging and purging.

"Those are not normal behaviours for men any more than they're normal behaviours for women," he said.

Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/men/face+eating+disorders+starving+themselves+look+like+pictures/7848920/story.html

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It's not really fear of public speaking? | Donn King's Corner

?it?s fear of being transparent?of being myself in front of other people, of being judged.

As Seth Godin says, it?s fear of telling the truth.

Maybe that?s why a course in public speaking tends to be the basic communication course at many colleges. People expect through those courses to lose their fear, and you never really lose it, you just transform it.

As we?ve talked about before, much of that transformation involves simply thinking differently about the experience: it?s just adrenaline, it?s just energy, I don?t want to get rid of it, I want to harness it, etc.

But let?s be clear and frank: some of that transformation is also simply developing a tolerance. In other words, you get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Even after I had been speaking for years, the first few times I spoke professionally I was right back into levels of adrenaline that were uncomfortable. Several times I told myself, ?That?s it. I?m done. I will honor my commitment today, but this is too uncomfortable to be worth it.?

But like (I assume) childbirth, you soon forget the pain and remember the rewards, and so you sign up for another one.

Over time, I have come to actually look forward to the feeling I used to call ?jitters.? I suspect it?s the same feeling that drives thrill-seekers. But a large part of that has been getting beyond (mostly) concern over being judged.

One area to cut yourself a break: you will never completely get over that, and you shouldn?t expect yourself to. For example, last semester had a couple of the best classes I have had in probably a decade. (Last summer had the best, too. I hope this indicates a trend.) It also happened to be a semester in which our department ran ?Student Perception of Faculty? surveys.

You can see interesting patterns when you look at those. In one of the two ?better? classes, 16 students said they would definitely recommend me to another student, and two more said they probably would. None said probably not, but one said definitely not. You can look all through the categories and the pattern remains the same?there?s always one who puts the lowest possible mark.

You might think that one person simply misunderstood how to mark the scales, but they had the chance to make written comments also, and while most of them rave about me or the class, with a couple saying good things, there is one comment that makes it obvious the student just flat didn?t like me.

It?s human nature to obsess about that sort of thing. I tell students that if out of 100 people who heard you speak only two say something less than flattering, those are the two you will focus on. It?s part of what we have to learn as speakers: you are unlikely to connect with every single audience member. Our goal is to raise our percentages.

It still bugs me to wonder who I failed to connect with in that particular class, since it seemed as if all of them got into the class, improved as speakers, and showed enthusiasm for the course. But it doesn?t bother me much. I wish I had more specific feedback to figure out what went on there, and it?s possible it really had nothing to do with me. I?ll never know.

But I do know this: until you get used to the idea that some people just won?t like you, you don?t have much of a chance of getting your message across to the people who will benefit from it. Perhaps, in an odd sort of way, the fact that one person didn?t like me is a good thing.

What about you? Are you trying too hard to avoid ticking someone off? Does it prevent your focusing on your core message for fear of rejection and judgment? Or have you overcome that? How?

Photo Credit: Daniela Vladimirova via Compfight cc

Source: http://donnellking.com/blog/2013/01/its-not-really-fear-of-public-speaking/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-not-really-fear-of-public-speaking

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3 Golden Rules to Rid Yourself of Debt

Let?s face it, debt sucks.

The idea of owing money to others, a financial obligation, doesn?t sit well with me.? I suspect if you?re reading this blogpost debt doesn?t sit well with you either.? Although I think some debt is a necessary evil, say to eventually own your house or car, I?m suggesting debt must be managed or it will manage you.? Maybe some folks are in severe debt because they have no other choice and I definitely sympathize with that, life happens and some people are put into predicaments far beyond their doing. ?They need help to get out of trouble. ?In other cases, you make your own bed.

I hate debt because I must use cash flow to pay it off.? Debt takes money out of my pocket, money that could be directed towards savings or simply enjoying life the life I want to lead; financial health can provide freedom.

To rid yourself of debt, you need some rules to follow and the best rules are usually the easiest ones to remember.? Today, I?ve provided my three golden rules to kill off debt, rules I?m trying to practice myself.

Make needs trump wants

The reality is you don?t need much to live from:? some food, some clothing, some shelter and of course your health. ?An expensive dinner out on the town or a new car, are definitely wants.? Nothing wrong with wants. ?Life is meant to be lived but if you?re going to spend money consider answering the following questions first:

• Am I neglecting a need with this want?
• Is this want going to add value to my life?
• How will I feel after the purchase?

Make paying debt a habit

Take some money, any amount money and sock it away every paycheck towards your debt.? It can be $5 or $50 or $500.? Make paying debt a habit and keep the habit alive.? Pay off your high interest debt first and keep making a debt payment in highest interest pile if you can. ?This has been our strategy for years. ?When you?re done with that obligation pay the next highest debt in line until you have only one major debt, potentially your mortgage. ?This is where we are now. ?Keep your payment plan going and work on increasing your payment frequency as you gain momentum.

Feel free to spend just spend less than you make

Yes, I wrote it, the most overstated but the most important rule of personal finance -?spend less than you make. ?This rule transcends all other rules.? Budgeting is a great debt management tool but it?s difficult to sustain long term. ?I confess we struggle with it now and then. ?Instead of sticking to a rigid budget every month for utility bills, groceries and other living expenses we just focus on paying and accelerating our debt obligations first and then using what?s leftover to spend.

I recognize these are fairly obvious rules, just like we all know driving too fast is dangerous and excessive smoking and drinking is bad for your health. ?Still, some of us do these things now and then because we?re human and we?re flawed. ?We?re bound to make mistakes and avoid the simple path. ?In the end, because these rules are straightforward, they give us hope. ?The same goes for my golden debt management rules. ?Simple works more often than not and anything we can do that?s simple for as long as possible usually gives us a fighting chance.

What are your personal finance rules for debt management?

Thanks for reading and sharing this article.

Source: http://www.myownadvisor.ca/2013/01/3-golden-rules-to-rid-yourself-of-debt/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-golden-rules-to-rid-yourself-of-debt

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Cost, need play into insurance decisions | GoErie.com/Erie Times ...

Insurance is not only a fundamental part of most consumers' financial lives, it's also among the most confusing.

Here are answers to basic questions frequently asked by consumers.

Q How much life insurance do I need?

A At its simplest, life insurance is a paycheck replacement if you die. In determining how much coverage you need, you're trying to answer two questions: "Who relies on my paycheck and would suffer financial hardship if I died?" and "How much money would they be missing because I'm not working?"

Single, childless people who have nobody relying on their income might decide they need no life insurance.

A single breadwinner in a young family of five might need a policy worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions.

Q While traveling, should I buy rental-car insurance?

A Probably not, if you already have auto insurance with collision and comprehensive coverage, which refers to noncollision events, such as theft, fire or vandalism. The rental-car insurance could be a waste of money.

To best answer this question, make two phone calls -- to your auto agent and to the issuer of the credit card you will use to pay for the rental. Both are likely to include some coverage for use of a rental car.

Q How do I choose the right deductibles?

A The simple answer is to choose auto and home insurance deductibles as high as you can stand. A deductible is the amount of money you have to pay before your insurance kicks in. If you opt for a higher deductible, your premiums will be lower, but you'll have bigger out-of-pocket expenses if you have a claim.

Q Should I buy term life insurance or permanent insurance?

A In short, buy term life insurance and only buy pricey permanent insurance -- whole life, universal life and variable life -- if you fully understand the policy, its costs, its rate of return and exactly why you need it instead of term life insurance. That alone will dissuade most people because permanent policies are so complicated.

By contrast, term life insurance is relatively easy to understand. It pays your beneficiaries a lump sum if you die during the term, typically 10, 20 or 30 years. There's no investment component.

Q Who needs renters insurance?

A Renters insurance typically covers your personal belongings against damage and theft and provides some liability coverage if someone is injured in your apartment.

Fortunately, renters insurance is fairly cheap, often in the ballpark of $16 per month. Yet only 31 percent of renters buy it, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

Q Should I buy life insurance for a child?

A The typical answer is no. Not only is the probability of a child dying remote, but your household doesn't rely on a child's income and would not suffer financially because a child died -- outside funeral and burial expenses.

You could consider a small policy to reimburse yourself for funeral expenses, but get the proper amount of life insurance on the family's breadwinners as a higher priority

Source: http://www.goerie.com/article/20130120/BUSINESS05/301209983/Cost-need-play-into-insurance-decisions

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Haptic Steering Wheels Could Save You From the Blinding Sun

Let's say you're flying down the road at inadvisably high speeds, listing to some tunes, and having a grand old time. And then, Mr. Sun just happens to peek out from behind a distant building/mountain/hill and punches you straight in the gat-dang eyes. You're blinded by the light. Whatchu gonna do? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/GzmsGgiAb28/haptic-steering-wheels-could-save-you-from-the-blinding-sun

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2013 Book of Lists networking event registration closes Jan. 18 ...

Tuesday, January 15, 2013, 4:21 pm

By Tiana Sandoval, Event Development Manager

The deadline for reserving your spot at one of the North Bay?s largest business networking events is Jan. 18. More than 500 are expected to attend the release celebration for the Business Journal?s 2013 Book of Lists.

Invited to the event, to be held the evening of Jan. 22, are executives from companies and firms included in the new?Book of Lists.

The more than 200-page publication has more than 1,500 businesses on 90 lists.

Space is limited at the event location, Doubletree hotel in Rohnert Park. The event costs $55 a person. To attend, use the online registration form, call 707-521-5264 or register at the door.

Copyright ? 1988?2013 North Bay Business Journal
View the policy for linking to website content.

Categories: Breaking News, Events, NBBJ events, North Bay News, Top News Stories

Source: http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/67608/2013-book-of-lists-release-networking-event-registration-deadline-is-january-18-2013/

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China data lifts TSX to 10-1/2-month high; RIM jumps

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index touched its highest level since late February on Friday, helped by a jump in Research In Motion shares after an influential analyst boosted his rating and price target on the company, days ahead of the launch of a new product line crucial to RIM's future.

Also boosting the index was news that China's economy grew at a slightly faster-than-expected rate in the fourth quarter, which lifted heavyweight materials and energy shares. The report was the latest indication that China, a major resource consumer, is recovering from a slowdown.

"The Chinese number yesterday was the key driving force, I think ... obviously people are a bit more optimistic on the resource side. That certainly helps, especially with things like copper," said Sal Masionis, stockbroker at Brant Securities.

The index's materials group was up 0.52 percent, while the energy sector added 0.33 percent. Oil company Canadian Natural Resources Ltd rose 1.36 percent to C$29.73, while miner Goldcorp Inc advanced 1.25 percent to C$37.22.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> was up 61.91 points, or 0.49 percent, at 12,738.00, in its strongest performance since February 29, 2012.

All 10 of the index's main sectors were higher, with the technology group up 1.74 percent. RIM stock climbed 5.86 percent to C$15.52 after Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek lifted his stock rating on RIM to "buy" from "hold", adding to optimism about the make-or-break launch on January 30 of a line of smartphones powered by the company's new BlackBerry 10 software.

"It's a very, very tricky situation ... There's an awful lot of rumors going out about it, but I think it's going to be a very, very tough uphill battle (for RIM)," Masionis said.

He added that recent technical breakouts in a number of sectors, including the Dow Jones transportation average's record high earlier in the week, have also helped the market.

Canadian National Railway was the biggest heavyweight gainer, rising 1.52 percent to C$95.22. The overall industrials group was up 0.62 percent.

The financials group, which accounts for nearly a third of the index, rose 0.6 percent.

($1=$0.99 Canadian)

(Editing by Peter Galloway)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tsx-may-open-higher-upbeat-china-growth-data-131403964--finance.html

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Military jets escort flight into Seattle after threat warning

SEATTLE (AP) ? Two military jets escorted an Alaska Airlines flight into Seattle and authorities took a passenger off the plane Thursday night, after a caller told the FBI that a possible hijacker was aboard the flight from Hawaii, officials said.

Law enforcement officers were waiting for the male passenger after Oregon Air National Guard F-15 jets escorted the aircraft, which landed about 7 p.m. PST, airline spokesman Paul McElroy said.

An unidentified caller told the Honolulu FBI office on Thursday afternoon that a man aboard Alaska Flight 819 from Kona to Seattle was a possible hijacker, said FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu.

Officers boarded the jet through rear stairs in Seattle and removed the man from the plane, McElroy said. The passenger had been seated at the back of the aircraft and "slept most of the flight," he added.

Seattle FBI spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich described the man as cooperative and said agents were interviewing him Thursday night. She said there didn't appear to be any imminent public safety threat.

"We're talking with the individual," she said. "We continue to gather observations and physical evidence."

"I can tell you any threats or tips we receive we take seriously in case they're a credible threat," she said. "We certainly get a number of calls that turn out to be not credible."

The flight crew was aware of the threat but reported no unusual behavior, McElroy said, adding law enforcement made the decision to scramble the military jets.

Passengers deplaned normally after the man was removed. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said airport K-9 dogs then checked the plane but found nothing amiss.

Simon declined to provide any details about the caller who alerted the FBI. He noted that making a false statement to the FBI is a crime.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/passenger-escorted-off-plane-threat-warning-054623029.html

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NYT Message on Energy Drinks: Be Afraid! Safe As Coffee! - Hit ...

A couple of weeks ago, I noted that the two prongs of New York Times?reporter Barry Meier's journalistic crusade against energy drinks conflict with each other: In one story, he will warn that energy drinks contain so much caffeine that they might kill you, while in another he will debunk marketing claims about the supposedly energizing special ingredients in these products, saying all they really deliver is about as much caffeine as you get in a cup of coffee. Meier manages to hit both of these themes in two recent stories?without noticing the contradiction.

Last week Meier noted a Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report on emergency room visits by people who had recently consumed energy drinks:

A rising number of patients, many of them young people, are being treated in emergency rooms for complications related to highly caffeinated?energy drinks?like Red Bull, Monster Energy and 5-Hour Energy,?new federal data shows.

The number of annual hospital visits involving the drinks doubled from 2007 to 2011, the latest year for which data are available, according to?a report?by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In 2011, there were 20,783 reported emergency room visits in which an energy drink was cited as the primary cause of or a contributing factor to a health problem, compared with 10,068 in 2007. Such problems, which are typically linked to excessive caffeine consumption, can include anxiety, headaches, irregular heartbeats and heart attacks.

In two-fifths of these cases, the patients had consumed other drugs (typically alcohol or stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin) as well. Still, 20,783 sure sounds like a lot. How does that compare to emergency room visits by users of other psychoactive substances? Meier does not say, but this DAWN report?shows that in 2010 there were 687,574 visits related to alcohol, 408,021 related to benzodiazepines (such as Valium), 115,739 related to hydrocodone (Vicodin), and?105,229 related to antidepressants. Even marijuana?which does not cause fatal overdoses and has so few serious side effects that the Drug Enforcement Administration's chief administrative law judge called it?"one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man"?clocked in at 461,028.?In this context, 20,783 seems less impressive, especially given the size of the energy drink market. Survey data from 2008 indicated that more than a third of 18-to-24-year-olds were regular consumers of energy drinks, and the market has grown substantially since then (which helps explain why the number of hospital visits has risen). By comparison, less than a fifth of people in this age group report past-month marijuana use.

The point is not that marijuana is extremely dangerous but that the numbers Meier cites to pump up alarm about energy drinks actually make them look pretty benign. Similarly, Meier claims in the same article that the Food and Drug Administration has received "numerous?reports of deaths and injuries?in which the drinks were mentioned." How numerous? About two dozen a year for 5 Hour Energy, one of the leading brands, and about four for Monster Energy drinks, another product Meier says poses a deadly threat to consumers. By comparison, the FDA receives thousands of such reports (which do not prove a causal relationship) about aspirin?each year and hundreds about coffee.?

Speaking of coffee, there it is in Meier's ninth paragraph:

Energy drink producers claim that their proprietary formulations provide consumers with a physical and mental edge. There is little scientific evidence, however, that the drinks provide anything more than a high dose of caffeine similar to that found in a strong cup of coffee.

In short, we should worry about dying from a caffeine overdose when we drink Red Bull, even though it contains less caffeine per ounce than coffee. The discombobulating juxtaposition of these two points is even more striking in the latest installment of Meier's never-ending expos? because it occurs in adjacent paragraphs:

In recent months, the Food and Drug Administration has begun examining the safety of energy drinks following reports of several deaths and numerous injuries potentially associated with the products. The number of annual hospital emergency visits involving the drinks doubled from 2007 to 2011, according to?a federal report released last week.

In addition, claims by drink producers that their proprietary "energy" formulations provide consumers with a physical and mental edge?are coming under scrutiny. There is little scientific evidence, researchers say, that the drinks provide anything more than a high dose of caffeine similar to that found in a cup of strong coffee.

Be afraid! Safe as coffee! Pick one, Barry.

Source: http://reason.com/blog/2013/01/17/nyt-message-on-energy-drinks-be-afraid-s

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Does Apple really need to make a cheaper iPhone for China and India?

The cheaper iPhone rumour is based on the idea that Apple needs a low-cost iPhone to compete in these huge markets. Here we examine whether such a device is really the right move for Apple, and what a budget iPhone might do for the companies image if it was available worldwide.?

It is clear that China is well and truly on the map at Apple; Apple CEO Tim Cook has paid his second visit to the country in 10 months, and Apple has announced that will extend its plans to build 25 Apple Stores in the country. Apple currently has 11 stores in the mainland China and one in Hong Kong - six of those stores opened last year. Cook also revealed that Apple recorded $5.7 billion of sales in China during the quarter that ended in September.

We hear a lot less about Apple's plans for India, although in an unprecedented move, the company did slash the prices of the iPhone 4 and 4S one week after lowering them following the launch of the iPhone 5 back in October. Apparently Apple isn't too keen on the bureaucracy involved in doing business in India, where it has to tie up with national, regional and local distributors to get its products to consumers, according to this WSJ report.

With this information in mind, why are China and India of such importance to Apple and is it really necessary for the company to produce a budget iPhone to grab market share in these territories.

No. Apple already sells the iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S at a low price

Apple's usual practice that when it debuts a new iPhone it begins selling the old iPhone models at a lower price. For example, when Apple launched the iPhone 5 it reduced the price of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 with the entry point for an off contract iPhone 4 being ?319. Apple did the same when it announced the iPhone 4 and the same when it launched the iPhone 3GS in June 2009. As a rule, Apple carries on selling the previous year's low-end iPhone and cuts the price of that model. This same practice could work in China and India.?

No. Apple is already offering Chinese customers a deal where they can pay for their phone in 2-year installments

Apple has introduced installment payment plans for shoppers in China. Fees can run from zero to 8.5% and can be spread over a two-year period.

Payments can be split into three, six, 12, 18 or 24 installments. Choosing 12 or fewer installments carries no fee. A fee of 6.5% of the selling price will be charged for 18 installments, and 8.5% for 24 installments.

No. Apple doesn't care about market share. What matters is quality.

Senior vice president of Apple marketing Phil Schiller recently told the Shanghai Evening News that Apple would: "Not develop cheap smartphones in order to grab market share".

"Some manufacturers use cheap smartphones to replace feature phones, but this is not Apple's product development direction," he said.?

No. The big priority is to sign up China Mobile

The one thing that would really make a difference to Apple in China is if it could sign up China Mobile as a network partner. The company has been in talks previously with China Mobile about selling the iPhone. The carrier has more than 700 million customers, and without China Mobile, Apple's growth in the country will always be constrained. RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani expects that Apple will finalise the deal with China Mobile in early 2013. However, IDC projects that China Mobile won't offer the iPhone until 2014, after the carrier is expected to launch its commercial 4G LTE network.

No. It could damage Apple's brand

Apple is trusted for producing quality products that are reassuringly expensive. Apple has never sold a "cheap" anything. It is a premium company that believes in charging a premium for its products.

To produce a low-cost product is contrary to late Apple founder Steve Jobs' vision. Steve Jobs strategy was to offer a small number of products, focus on the high end, give priority to profits over market share, and create a halo effect.

The Apple brand is associated with quality. Apple products are aspirational. If the company lost that association it would find its popularity waning.

No. It could damage Apple's margins.

This is why investors got worried when the budget iPhone rumour broke. Even Apple bull Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster cut his target for AAPL, claiming that a less expensive iPhone will reduce Apple's margins.

Apple doesn't have to sell the most iPhones in order to make the most money from the smartphone market. It's profitability that matters, to Apple at any rate.?

No. Apple should avoid becoming too mainstream

If everyone owned an iPhone Apple wouldn't be cool anymore. In the early days Apple was cool because it "Thought Different". Then because Mac users were cool while PC users were fuddy-duddy. Then just plugging iPod earbuds into your ears made you cool. Now the iPhone is becoming so popular that youths are said to be turning their nose up at it. The irony of the Apple Samsung court battle is that Samsung some how came out looking like the underdog, and that may have done wonders for its image.

Apple needs to go back to the Think Different mentality. People don't want to follow the herd.

Yes. The iPhone is too expensive

The entry-level iPhone 5 is priced at 5,288 yuan (?532). That's equal to about six weeks? pay for the average urban worker, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. The average monthly pay in China is about 3,585 yuan (?360).

Local handsets producers are luring customers with smartphones costing less than 1,000 yuan (?100) each, according to IDC.

Yes, China and India don't have the subsidized model for mobile phones

When we sign up for a new phone we rarely have to pay the full price of the handset, it is usually subsidized by the carrier (we basically pay for the phone as part of our contract). That is not the case in emerging markets. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster notes that China and India don't have a business model where handset prices are subsidized by the networks, hence the need for cheap iPhone handsets.

Yes, to address the massive market potential.

A report from research firm Canalys claims that China's smartphone market has the potential to be twice as large as the US market. Apple's CEO Tim Cook has said that he expects China to become the company's largest market, surpassing the US. It's a big market ? there are 1.1 billion mobile users in China.?

As for India, with 850 million subscribers, India has the second largest number of mobile phone users in the world. Mobile device sales in India are forecast to reach 251 million units in 2013, an increase of 13.5%over 2012 sales of 221 million units, according to Gartner.

Like China, India is a very competitive market with 150 device manufacturers many of which are focused on the low-cost phone market.

Fitch thinks a low-cost iPhone will allow Apple to gain reasonable market share in emerging markets like China and India.?

Yes. Or Samsung will win

Samsung?s a formidable enemy with a wide device portfolio and an established presence in these emerging markets.

"Samsung is an extraordinarily good competitor," said former Apple CEO Sculley. "The differentiation between a Samsung Galaxy and an iPhone 5 is not as great as we used to see."

Yes, Apple needs more variety

Samsung has a wider variety of handsets in terms of both price and screen size than Apple. Apple can't have all its eggs in one basket. Variety is the spice of life.

Follow Karen Haslam on Twitter?/?Follow MacworldUK on Twitter?

Related:

Cheaper iPhone could cost ?61, but may damage Apple's brand

Cheap iPhone will not happen, says Apple's Schiller

Apple to launch cheap iPhone for China and India

Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/570/f/7332/s/27a063dd/l/0L0Smacworld0O0Cipad0Eiphone0Cnews0Cindex0Bcfm0Dnewsid0F34211690Golo0Frss/story01.htm

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Jersey Shore town OKs deal to rebuild boardwalk

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) ? The boardwalk where generations of families and teens got their first taste of the Jersey Shore and where the MTV reality show of the same name was filmed is about to be rebuilt following its destruction in Superstorm Sandy.

Seaside Heights on Wednesday night awarded a $3.6 million contract to have the boardwalk rebuilt in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The walkway, one of the most popular and heavily used at the Jersey Shore, was destroyed in the late October storm, the state's worst natural disaster. Officials say it is the centerpiece of the borough's tourism industry, which funds 75 percent of its budget.

"A lot of people love Seaside and want to see what's happening this year," Mayor William Akers said. "If they don't come back, we don't eat."

Florence Birban, a 47-year resident, said the boardwalk means a lot to homeowners.

"We need a boardwalk here to bring in the revenue and keep our taxes from going up, hopefully," she said. "It just looks wrong without a boardwalk. I look up the street, and I don't see one, and it's not right."

The work should be done by May 10.

Seaside Heights was famous for generations as a summer destination for families, teens and young adults. It took on a new level of fame in recent years when MTV set its "Jersey Shore" reality show on the boardwalk, where a tipsy Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi tottered unsteadily and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino flexed his abs as cameras whirred.

The contract approved Wednesday just covers replacement of the boards and the substructure beneath it. Akers said a future contract will include ramps, railings and a protective sea wall.

Borough Administrator John Camera said the entire length of the mile-long boardwalk will be rebuilt.

That was good news for Sue Poane, another longtime resident concerned about the town's financial future and its quality of life.

"We need the people to spend their money here; we need the boardwalk back for the businesses," she said. "My husband and I walk the boardwalk every Sunday afternoon. We have our supper at our special place ? they have the best seafood in the world! ? and then we sit and people-watch."

Seaside Heights is the second major boardwalk to see rebuilding begin; Belmar started work on its walkway last week. Spring Lake also has started fixing its boardwalk, as has Point Pleasant Beach.

On Thursday in Seaside Heights, the private owners of the Jet Star roller coaster plan to solicit bids from companies interested in removing the remains from the Atlantic Ocean, Akers said. They have been there since the roller coaster plunged off a collapsing pier during the storm.

Town officials are anxious to have it removed. Last week, a man sailed a small boat to the coaster, climbed to the top of it and affixed a flag to it before being talked down and arrested by police. Officials and some residents are worried about liability for the coaster if someone is injured on or near it. The beachfront remains off-limits and is guarded by police and state troopers.

___

Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jersey-shore-town-oks-deal-rebuild-boardwalk-235606689.html

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Golf cart ablaze

#myCaptureLink({'contentId' : VersionedContentId(1.79375.1358283278), '':''})

Special to The Log | Steven Menchel

Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 15:55 PM.

On Sunday morning, the Destin Fire Control District responded to a call in the Destiny East neighborhood. At about 9 a.m., Engine 9, Ladder 9 and Ladder 10 ? all of the department's trucks ?? arrived on scene to find a golf cart fully engulfed in flames in the usually quiet residential area. Battalion Chief Mike Urenda, who was not on scene during the fire, told The Log that no one was injured and nothing else was burnt. "This case is still under investigation," said Urenda.

Source: http://www.thedestinlog.com/news/golf-cart-ablaze-1.79373

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White House calls NRA video repugnant, cowardly

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The White House says a National Rifle Association video that makes reference to President Barack Obama's daughters is "repugnant and cowardly."

Obama spokesman Jay Carney says most Americans agree that a president's children should not be used as "pawns in a political fight." Carney was referring to an online video from the pro-gun lobby that calls Obama an "elitist hypocrite" for having armed Secret Service agents protect his daughters at school while voicing skepticism about installing armed guards in all schools.

The NRA released the video ahead of Obama's announcement Wednesday of proposals for curbing the nation's gun violence. The president is calling on Congress to enact universal background checks and ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines ? all measures the NRA opposes.

The gun lobby has instead called for armed guards in schools.

In a nod to calls for more school security, Obama said Wednesday that his administration would provide incentives for schools to hire more police officers as part of his overall package of anti-gun violence initiatives and proposals.

In a related matter, NBC news criticized the NRA video for including an image of "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory, who prompted an investigation by District of Columbia prosecutors after displaying a high-capacity ammunition magazine during an interview with NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre last month. Prosecutors decided not to file charges.

"NBC News firmly objects to the use of our journalists in any political ad," the network said in a statement. "David Gregory's role as moderator of 'Meet the Press' is to ask tough questions of guests representing all sides of the issues."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-01-16-White%20House-NRA%20Video/id-064b6cd41b9347eaaef58a4e647224d9

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?The Bee?

Photograph by Susan Unterberg.

Click the arrow on the audio player to?hear Henri Cole read this poem. You can also download?the recording or?subscribe?to?Slate's Poetry Podcast on iTunes.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? For Jamaica Kincaid

There?s a Bee
dying slowly
outside my
window.
He/she

makes this awful
buzzing sound
which grows
longer as
the end nears,

I suppose.
The mysterious
process at work
within him/her
is disturbing,

like a warm
wet finger.
Usually,
when you hear
a Bee,

the sound dissipates
as the Bee
flies away,
but this is just constant,
so constant I think,

Maybe this Bee
is stupidly in love
with me.
Or the buzzing
is inside

my head
and will become,
over time,
a friend?
a new kind

that doesn?t go away,
even after lots of sex?
my ear canal
growing receptive,
like a hard bud

to light,
or a vulva
to the perfect
relation.
Would we know

each other,
I wonder,
if our eyes met across
a crowded room?
I did not expect

to meet this Bee.
What else
could love be
but lots of buzzing?
or hate??

For Slate's poetry submission guidelines, click here. Click here?to visit Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project site.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=a38d6cf31da73f329148b49b3b2eb533

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